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Spectra vs. Stainless Steel

Which is stronger, 3/8-inch Spectra line or 1/2-inch stainless steel? We’re not sure, but we’ve got some interesting data.
 
A couple of weeks ago we were anchored on Harbor Reef, all by our lonesome, banging away on the keyboard, when we noticed a 60-ft powerboat approaching bow-to-bow. This wasn’t entirely shocking, as people often come close to say hello. But in this instance, the powerboat didn’t stop, and before long there was the crunching of fiberglass and the severing of our ‘forward traveller’, which runs from bow to bow to adjust the location of the spinnaker tack.
 
(It turns out that the powerboat, having had normal work done on the engines, had suddenly run out of fuel after crossing from the mainland, and had drifted down on us, bow to bow.)
 
As we later looked at the damage, it was kind of interesting, because the 1/2-inch turnbuckle, which we use to tighten the 3/8-inch Spectra traveller line, had given way first, at least in the sense that it had bent. But before the stainless rod broke completely, the Spectra line snapped — and with a big bang.
 
So which is stronger? We guess it’s just not that simple.

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If you’re a first-time cruiser who is about to head to Mexico and/or the South Pacific, it’s likely that you’ve purchased an HF radio with SSB and Ham capability.